Recommended Climbing Roses

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Recommended Climbing Roses

Climbing roses add charm and dimension to your landscape. Blanketing a trellis or framing a porch post in colorful blooms, these plants cozy up the environment and contribute a splash of color at eye level. Luckily, there are a few climbing roses that offer these benefits and demand little in the way of pampering.

New Dawn

One of the more popular picks in the climbing rose family is New Dawn. This repeat bloomer grows vigorously, so choose its location carefully--it can easily reach 15 feet in length. Offering profuse, pink double blooms, New Dawn is disease resistant and gives off a sweet rose fragrance when in bloom. Although most all climbing roses require full sun, New Dawn is one of a small number which can tolerate partial shade. Even so, choose a location where your plant will receive at least five hours of sunlight per day. Don't despair if your rose doesn't show off for the first couple of seasons. A New Dawn climber can take up to three years to become fully established, but after that time should pay great dividends for your patience.

Lady Banks Rose

If the nicks and scratches of working with roses have kept you away, a Lady Banks climber may be for you. This easy-care thornless variety exists in both yellow and white-bloomed plants, with yellow being far more common and widely available. Your Lady Banks rose will need a sturdy support, as its long, vigorous canes do become heavy. A healthy plant can reach lengths of up to 20 feet. According to the Mississippi State University Extension Service, this climbing rose is among the most disease resistant of all roses, so the usual culprits like black spot and powdery mildew are of virtually no concern. A Lady Banks rose can also withstand extended drought. It prefers full sun, but can perform well in light shade. Some gardeners opt to let their Lady Banks roses grow as weeping shrubs, but even those plants need some support to keep heavy canes off the ground.

Blaze

One of the most profuse bloomers is the Blaze climbing rose. With its semi-double crimson blooms, Blaze typically reaches 12 to 15 feet in length. A repeat bloomer throughout the summer, Blaze is best trained horizontally to encourage blooming on its lateral shoots and prefers full sun. Its clusters of 2- to 3-inch blooms have a light fragrance, and the plant boasts deep-green leathery foliage. Blaze climbing roses are disease resistant and can tolerate poor soil.

About this Author

Dana Hall McCain is a freelance writer based in Dothan, Ala., and is a a regular contributor to numerous regional publications. She writes features and columns on a variety of topics, including the outdoors, faith and health/wellness. She received a Bachelor of Arts from Auburn University in public relations/communication in 1995.